We have previously talked about one of the most heart-wrenching verses in the Bible, I’m talking about when Jesus cried out to the Father in heaven asking why He had abandoned Him. You can read that article here. Today I wanted to write about a couple of Jesus’ other words from the cross because I have been struck by the idea that even in His death He showed us how to live.

The first example I want to touch on is Jesus’ third words from the cross and they come to us in John 19:26, 27.

²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!”

With these words Jesus was making sure His mother’s future was secured. We don’t know what happened to Joseph, the last time he is mentioned in the Bible is in Luke 2:49 when Jesus was twelve and His family made the trip to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Joseph was probably much older than Mary and he probably had passed away many years before.

As a widow Mary would have no means of support other than her family. With these words Jesus was entrusting His mother’s care to John. In His own time of need he was thinking about the needs of others. He was more concerned for His loved ones’ well-being than he was about what was happening to Him.

This selflessness and concern for others should inspire us to do likewise, we will never be in a situation like this but how many of us are forward thinking enough to put the good of others ahead of our own good on a regular basis? Or even just once in a while? Many times we are so self-absorbed with our own needs that we neglect the needs of others, or we just assume somebody else will take care of it.

There is a reminder on how we are supposed to live in Philippians 2:3, which says:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Jesus showed us exactly how seriously he took the care and concern of others. He was counting others more significant than Himself.

Now we’ll go back to Jesus’ first words on the cross because I think this is incredibly powerful, and actually this type of forgiveness is unheard of, both in that time and certainly today. You all know the words I am talking about. As He is crucified and He is watching the Roman soldiers gamble for His clothing He asked God the Father to forgive them. From Luke 23:34:

³⁴ And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

During His lifetime Jesus shook things up by saying a man should love and pray for his enemies. From Matthew 5:43,44:

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

Saying we should love our enemies and pray for them is one thing, and it is very easy for us to say we will do the same, but when somebody has wronged us, either a coworker or somebody we trusted, or somebody is seeking to do us physical or emotional harm, will we be able to step back and say a prayer for that person? Even if we did pray for that person, would we be able to forgive that person? I won’t even ask how many of us would love that person…

You can see that Jesus backed up what He said, even under the most unbearable of situations. He said we should pray for our enemies and He did pray for them. Unlike the scribes and the Pharisees that Jesus once warned the people about,¹ He practiced what He preached.

Just think about the extremity of this example Jesus set. Jesus was betrayed by one friend,² He was abandoned by His other friends,³ He was beaten beyond recognition,⁴ He was mocked and ridiculed by His persecutors,⁵ one of the thieves crucified with Him,⁶ and many of those who were gathered there to watch Him die.⁷ And yet in the midst of all of this Jesus looked up to Heaven and asked the Father to forgive all of them.

We haven’t even discussed the great love He showed in willingly dying a sacrificial death on the cross even for all of those who would not accept His free gift, and even for those who crucified Him.

Jesus died as He commanded us to live, in His death he showed us how to live.

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1. Matthew 23:3 ↩︎
2. Matthew 26:14-16 ↩︎
3. Mark 14:50 ↩︎
4. Prophesy Isaiah 52:14 ↩︎
5. Matthew 27:27-31 ↩︎
6. Luke 23:39 ↩︎
7. Matthew 27:39-41 ↩︎